Beauty And The Beast
by Broadwaygirl21
Summary: Fiyero Tiggular is a selfish, spoiled, disappointment. According to Elphaba Thropp, that is. As an assistant to the editor-in-chief of Ozian's Choice, Elphaba finds it hard to work for someone who is constantly rude to her. But they are forced to band together to save their company and, along the way, they might just learn the true meaning of beauty. FIYERABA
1. Tale As Old As Time

**Hiya! I got back from my trip in Cuba a few days ago. I know I haven't posted anything since I left, but there was no wifi. Yes, I survived without FF and internet for three weeks. *shudders***

**One of my newest obsessions, is the show Ugly Betty. OMO, it's Ozsome! Since my brain is wired to both Fanfiction and wicked, I cooked up this little story. One of the characters, Daniel Meade, is a lot like Fiyero. He too danced through life, going from one woman to the next.**

**Betty and Elphaba aren't particularly similar, but I thought that I could make my story my own in this way. Oh! There's an episode dedicated to Wicked... It's one of my faves. Plus I can fit evil Morrible into the story.**

**So yes, I'm starting another story. Sue me.**

**Disclaimer: Hah!**

* * *

"Fiyero!" The Prince's father warned. "If you don't clean up your act-"

The younger Tiggular scoffed. "What are you going to do? Kill me? I just want to live a little, have some fun. Where you a perfect angel when you were my age?" He demanded. Zachariah nodded, his stare fixed on his only son.

"I was." He answered solemnly.

Fiyero rolled his eyes. "And look where you are. Divorced, lonely, and unhappy. Dad, in case you haven't noticed, I don't want to be anything like you." He spat out.

"It would do you good to respect me. I am your father, after all." Zachariah reminded him. "I have all the influence and power in this magazine. In fact, I have all the influence and power in this building. I own Tiggular and every single one of its magazines, including _Ozian Choice_. I only made you editor-in-chief, so you can learn some responsibility. I _didn't_, however, give it to you, you can sleep with your assistants!"

Fiyero stood in front of him, aimlessly staring out the window. Only then, did he turn around and face his father. "Are you done? I'd like to get some work done at the office." He answered, remembering the hot redhead he'd left waiting.

Zachariah, knowing exactly what his son meant by work, sighed deeply and motioned to the door. He needed to get Fiyero to focus more, to resist temptation. But how?

"Uh, sir?" His assistant, Brunoha, entered.

"Yes?"

"The new assistant wannabes are here to be interviewed." He answered. For some reason, his nose was crinkled in a distasteful manner and he seemed to be disgusted.

_Right, Fiyero needs a new assistant. Maybe they're the key to making sure he matured a bit. _Zachariah thought, smirking at his reflection in the dark tile floors. Dismissing Brunoha, he thanked him and rushed out the door, heading to the lobby.

Well, the people applying for the position were sure a motley crew. A ragtag group of misfits. Smiling victoriously, he had to make a double take when he saw a certain Ozian sitting down and fiddling with her fingers nervously.

And she was green.

Literally, green. Like, her skin color was Emerald... Was that even possible? Oh well, it's not like he cared. If he wanted Fiyero to resist temptation, this was the best way to do it. Not bothering to look at the rest of the interviewees, he turned to her.

The green girl wore a shapeless frock and a lumpy braid. Glasses were pinned on the edge of her nose, and she was peering down at a book that appeared to have her entranced. Cringing at the sight of her outfit, Zachariah thought that maybe he should reconsider this choice. This was a fashion magazine, after all.

However, Fiyero was more important than all the ratings in the world. Ignoring all the voices in his head screaming at him to stop, turn around, and choose a beautiful model, he stared straight at the woman in front of him.

"How soon can you start?"

* * *

"A fashion magazine?!" Nessarose asked her older sister in surprise. Elphaba cringed, but nodded. "Yes. I know fashion isn't exactly one of my strong suits but, for whatever reason, Mr. Tiggular thought I would do a good job.' She explained.

Nessa nodded thoughtfully, wheeling herself over to the kitchen to bring some hot chocolate. "I can't believe you're going to meet Fiyero Tiggular! Oh, he is so incredibly handsome!" She gushed, passing a cup to the scowling green girl.

"He's also spoiled, rude, and a womanizer." Elphaba snarled, downing the liquid.

"Who cares? Fabala, he's _Fiyero Tiggular!_ This is a once in a lifetime oportunity." Nessarose added, gently placing a hand on her sisters shoulders.

"To do what, exactly?" Elphaba queried. "Bring coffee to a person who'll probably treat me like a piece of gum that got stuck on his shoe?" The younger Thropp rolled her eyes.

"You're just being pessimistic. I'm sure you'll have a great first day." Nessa assured her.

"I doubt it."

* * *

Fiyero sat, gaping at the woman before him. His dad was smiling widely and the Prince just knew that he had something to do with this. "Uh, dad? Can I talk to you for a moment?" Zachariah led Elphaba to the door and she sat down at her desk, which just happened to be right in front of his office. Closing the door, he shot his dad the most venomous glare he could muster.

"She's green." He stated.

"Yeah, I've noticed." Zachariah retorted dryly. Fiyero kept his glower fixed on his father. "No, you don't understand me. She's _green_." He tried.

"I understand you perfectly fine. What do you want me to do? I'm not going to fire her just because she's green." He answered. Fiyero groaned.

"But dad! She's green!" Zachariah gave his son a disapproving look before walking out. A few minutes later, Avaric Tenmeadows walked in.

"I just met the most beautiful girl in all of Oz." He declared, staring at the new receptionist. She was blonde and perky but, boy was she hot.

"My assistant is green." Fiyero answered in disbelief. Avaric chuckled at this, staring at the freak through the large window.

"Yeah, apparently." He said.

"Oz, Av! What am I supposed to do? Dad won't let me fire her!" He whined, slumping down in his chair like a five year old.

"So?"

"So, I don't want her to be my assistant!" Fiyero yelled. Avaric smirked, staring from Elphaba to Fiyero. "There is a solution for this. If you can't fire her, that is."

"What is it?"

"Make her quit."

* * *

**Sooooo, what did you think?! Id really like your opinion. Oh, and I'll try to update my other stories soon, I promise! Review!**


	2. I Won't Give Up

**I'm back! So for those of you who have read my stories, you know that when I start a new one, I can't stop posting... So here I am! **

**Note: It's ok if you haven't seen UB. I think it's actually better, because you won't know what happens. Trust me, a lot happens. Seriously, there's like a cliffie in every episode!**

**RavenCurls: (Love your username!) To get her to quit? Uh, you'll just have to wait and see... **

**terahteapot: Thanks! I'll also be updating Taking Chances sometime soon.**

**WickedFrenchHorn: Glad you like it! I think you're going to hate Fiyero more after this chapter. Heheh. Yes, I know! I'm going to read it after I post this!**

**Julie: This is soon, right?**

**iamgoku: Thanks! There were a lot of things to do, so I doubt I would've had time for it anyways. **

**Thedoctor24601: (Guest) Woah, that's a short review? I would love to see your long ones! I'm glad you like it so much! I can't stand to write anything that isn't Fiyeraba, so you're in luck!**

**Guest: Thank you!**

**wickedlytalented: Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying it!**

**Elphabalover101: Well, duh. He's Fiyero. Of course he's going to do something stupid! Lol.**

**For some reason, it says that I have ten reviews, but I can only count nine. Thank you to the tenth reviewer. I'm dying to read what you commented! Sorry if that's weird...**

**Oh, and I know that they probably don't have cell phones in Oz, but they kind of need to. So, bear with me.**

**Disclaimer: Alas, Wicked is not thine mine... Did I say that correctly?**

* * *

"Zachariah," Morrible began. "I just think that I'd be far better at running this magazine then Fiyero." Zachariah thought for a moment. She wasn't wrong, but he still needed his son to learn some responsibility.

"Morgana, listen. You are our best creative director. We can't lose you, you're far too valuable." He explained, knowing that false flattery might make her relinquish her hold on the coveted job.

"While I'm not going to deny you, I still don't think it's correct for you to hand him a job as an editor-in-chief, just because you need him to stop skirt-chasing his assistants." The woman dead panned. Zachariah sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Just give him a chance, Morgana. He might surprise you." He finished, walking out of the office. Morrible groaned and sat at her desk. "Boq!" She demanded. The short munchkin walked up timidly to her.

"Yes, Miss?"

"Just when I was about to get a promotion, that idiot, Zachariah, has to hire that idiotic excuse for a son." Morrible growled, glaring at her assistant.

"What do you mean? Zachariah didn't say anything about giving you a promotion." Boq reminded her gently. Morrible cackled.

"Of course he was! After Ahliyah Rose's 'untimely and tragic' murder, I was next in line. Ugh, but now I have to deal with that fool! Why in Oz is that imbecile running a fashion magazine anyways?!" She whined. "I've worked my way up the ladder of this company, and all of a sudden he just gets the job? And why? Because his daddy runs the whole building."

Boq nodded obediently. Having been Morrible's assistant for five years, he had gotten the hang of it. Never interrupt, never contradict.

"Unfortunately for them, I always get what I want. I won't stop until I'm editor-in-chief of this stupid magazine." Morrible swore.

"And I _dare_ them to try and get in my way."

* * *

Having chosen Avaric's idea to get rid of the Artichoke, he could barely contain his snickers as he called her into the office. "Elphaba?" He asked.

"Yes?" She answered, curiosity shown in her face.

"Theres a problem... With my lunch." Fiyero told her, pushing the dish of food she had gotten him to the edge of the desk.

"There is?" She queried.

"Yes. You see, I hate cole slaw. But I love cabbage." He said. Elphaba gave him a puzzled look as his words sunk in. "But cole slaw and cabbage are the-"

"I just like the tangy dressing. Think you could fix this for me?" Elphaba nodded her eyes narrowing at his strange request.

"Oh, and Elphaba?" She turned around, hoping to get a slightly more interesting assignment.

"Can you be back _before_ it gets to room temperature?" The green girl nodded, and Fiyero smirked at her retreating form.

Everything was going according to plan.

* * *

"Fabala, don't forget. It's fathers birthday tomorrow." Nessarose reminded her. Elphaba nodded absentmindedly, replaying her first day of work over and over again.

"Did he actually make you take gum off of the sole of his shoe?" Elphaba nodded, gagging at the repulsing memory. She knew that working in a fashion magazine would be hard, mainly because she didn't give two twigs about fashion, but if this is what being an assistant to Fiyero Tiggular was like, you could count her out.

"You know, Fabala? I think you're really brave." Nessa confessed.

"You do?"

The younger Thropp nodded. "I do. People constantly torment you just because of your verdigris. Yet, you don't let them get to you. And now, you take this job. I think you're really brave for facing it every single day." She said. Elphaba gave her sister a Wry smile.

"Thats the thing, Nessie. I'm not brave. I can't face this job, I-I think I'm going to quit." Nessa's eyes flared up.

"And give that idiot the satisfaction of wearing you down?!" She yelled. "You can't, Fabala! You can't back down, you have to stand up." Elphaba considered this for a moment.

Did she really have the strength to go back to that building? To face constant torture from her ignorant boss? She looked up at Nessa.

Sweet Nessarose. She had had so much taken away from her and, worst of all, it was her fault. Just like it was her fault that mother was dead.

"You know what? You're right. I'm not going to let some stupid rich boy break me. I am most definitely not quitting." The green girl decided.

Elphaba's second day was probably harder than her first. It sure did start earlier.

* * *

_Prrrrrring!_ Awoken by the continuous sound of her phone, the Emerald enchantress groaned, and rubbed her eyes groggily.

"Hello?" She answered.

"Elphaba? It's Fiyero. I have a huge emergency, you need to get over here now." Then he hung up.

Checking her bedside clock, Elphaba sighed heavily when she saw the hour. Three in the morning. Great. Half an hour later, she stood outside of the Prince's house- Or, better said, mansion.

Too tired to admire the spacious house, Elphaba knocked on the door. Fiyero opened, his eyes widening in realization. "I-I didn't think you'd actually come." He admitted.

"You said it was an emergency." Suppressing a yawn, she pushed past him and stepped inside. Fiyero looked down sheepishly. "Right. About that..." He trailed off, his deep azure eyes meeting her chocolate ones.

"Let me guess: There is no real emergency. You didn't need me to do all of this ridiculous stuff for you. You're just trying to get me to quit, because I don't fit your description of what your assistants should look like." Elphaba growled.

Finding that he couldn't look her in the eye, Fiyero's gaze trailed down to the floor. "Well, I, uh." He sighed. "Yes. Oz, I feel like such a jerk!"

Stifling a snarky retort, Elphaba rolled her eyes and walked out of the mansion. Fiyero ran a hand through his hair and guiltily stared after the woman running out the door.

* * *

"Choice magazine. How may I direct your call?" A blonde woman in her mid-twenties answered the calls in a bored fashion. Repainting her nail polish, she sighed. Working at Ozian's Choice, commonly known as Choice, wasn't too exciting. There was nothing new.

There went Salmen Gorcia, crying once again. Poor Salmen, she was fired and rehired every other day, just to keep that witch happy. Galinda Upland, while fashionable and popular, did have a heart. She knew that nobody deserved to be treated like that.

"Choice magazine. How may I direct your call?" It was the same routine over and over again. She had been a receptionist here for two years, and Galinda was slightly worried that she would be a receptionist for the rest of her life. Sure, she was the face of the magazine, that was an upside. Not to mention, she had been hired by Ahliyah Rose herself.

Ahliyah had been very distant. She had barely interacted with any of her employees and, being the head of the magazine, she was usually very busy. Galinda had spoken very few times to Ahliyah before her death. Or, should she say, murder.

"Choice magazine. How may I- Woah." Galinda's jaw dropped open and she disconnected her headset.

"You're green." She stated lamely, gaping at the woman in front of her.

"You're pink." Elphaba retorted, making Galinda laugh good-naturedly. "Toosh." She answered.

"Um, I think you mean touché." Elphaba corrected. The blonde waved her hand absently. "It's the same thing. Anyways, is there a reason why you're here?" She asked.

"Oh, yes. I'm Fiyero Tiggular's assistant." Elphaba answered, her voice dripping with venom. Galinda's eyes widened. "Seriously? I mean, of course you are!"

"It's ok. I get that most of the people who pass by here are models And that I'm a far cry away from being even close to their level. Your skepticism is both annoying, but expectant. I was basically hired to make sure Mr. Dancing-Through-Life wasn't tempted, anyways." She explained.

"Hey, I get it. Working here can be hard. People can be mean. I'm Galinda Upland Of The Upper Uplands. Not the Lower Uplands, or the Middle Uplands. The _Upper_ Uplands."

Elphaba suppressed a chuckle and nodded. "Got it, Upper Uplands. I'm Elphaba Thropp." She said.

"Elphaba? That's pretty. But... I like Elphie. Ooh! Can I call you Elphie?!" Galinda asked her excitedly. Elphaba cringed.

"Uh, it's a little perky..." She answered, hoping that the blonde would take the hint. No such luck. Galinda squealed in approval and threw her arms around the green woman.

"Oh, Elphie! We're going to be the bestest friends! We can have slumber parties and I can give you a makeover!" She screeched. Elphaba laughed awkwardly and detached herself from the sparkly torpedo.

"Heheh, th-that's great. Uh, I'm going to go get some coffee." Galinda nodded and plugged her headset back in.

"Choice magazine. How may I direct your call?"

* * *

"Dude, I swear. After this, she'll quit for sure!" Avaric promised.

"Av, I don't want to make her quit anymore!" Fiyero explained for the umpteenth time. Avaric groaned.

"Fiyero, the sooner she's gone, the sooner you can get a new assistant. One that you'll enjoy much more. How about that Upland chick?" He suggested.

"Galinda? No way! She's like a sister to me!" Fiyero protested.

"Fine. Then how about that model thats doing the cover?" Avaric asked. Fiyero rolled his eyes. "Carmela? She is gorgeous, but she would never want to be an assistant."

"Eh, we'll figure out all the kinks later. But the point is, Greenie has got to go. If she does, you can go back to partying and drinking and everything you used to do before you got this stupid job. If the Artichoke quits, daddy dearest will lose faith in you and you can get out of this horrible magazine." Avaric explained.

Fiyero thought this over a minute. Sighing in defeat, he looked up at his best friend. "Fine. What do I have to do?"

* * *

**Thanks so much for all of the reviews! I think this is the most I've gotten in one chapter! Keep reviewing and you'll get faster updates! Everybody wins! **

**Oh, and just to clarify, this is set in modern Oz. So there are telephones and modern techs stuff. It's basically like Earth with all the logistics and weird stuff of Oz. **

**Until next time!**


	3. The Party Of Her Nightmares

**Pretty long time since I updated, I know! But I am juggling other stories... I just can't help myself! Well, here I am! Hope you enjoy this chapter Brought to you by yours truly!**

**WickedFrenchHorn: Yes, a little sympathy can go a long way. Eh, who am I kidding? Avaric, also known as Satan's little angel is going to get in between Fiyeraba for a pretty long time... I'm so happy that you like the One-Shot!**

**RavenCurls: (OH MY OZ, I LOVE YOUR USERNAME!) Yes, it is the perfect job for little Glinny, but it just might be that she prefers something bigger this time... I know, I know, Fiyero's a complete idiot!**

**Thedoctor24601 (Guest): Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I love Ultimate Queen Of Cliffie's stories, soooo... Good thing? Yero really is a good person deep, deep, DEEP, down. But you're right, Avaric is douche-y idiot! Mhm, Glin is back! Nope, sorry! I'm too faithful to Fiyeraba... I've never even read a Gelphie story.**

**wickedlytalented: There doesn't exist a world where Morrible isn't Wicked. And I mean Wicked in a bad way! Thank you so much!**

**LillyFae: Which Ugly Betty? There's a Spanish version, which is completely different to the American one. Yes, I can't guarantee that it will happen... Oh, who am I kidding? It will! But it's going to take quite some time...**

**iamgoku: So, how's work enslavement? Lol, I really need an update. Like, I'm dying... I hope you're enjoying the story, yay!**

**Bunny (Guest): Thanks, I'm glad you like the plot. And actually, I need it to move this fast. I don't want this to be like a fifty chapter story, so I kinda sped it up because I need a lot to happen. But I'll try to slow it down!**

* * *

"I want you to clean this whole house, then get Nessa dressed for the party." Frexspar Thropp boomed, walking out of his eldest daughter's room. _That nasty aberration,_ He thought, _I don't want her near this party at all. It is of extreme importance._

Elphaba rolled her eyes at the retreating form of the man she called a father. She had just gotten back from work and, after doing everything she could to ignore her boss, she was exhausted. She just wanted to kick off her shoes and go... To... Sleep...

_No! No, you have to clean this place in less than three hours, with enough time to spare so that you can dress Nessarose_. Her mind retaliated, perking her up slightly.

"But I don't want to..." She mumbled.

_But you have to. Or would you rather have Father lock you in a room with no food or water for days. He did it last time, Elphaba. He could do it again._ Elphaba's eyes shot open, immediately grabbing a mop and a broom.

Pinning her loose braid up on top of her head, she swept the dining hall. It wasn't too hard, but she was just getting started. She reached under a large sofa, cleaning all the dust bunnies and small pieces of trash. She bumped into something, and curiously bent down to pick it up.

Her eyes widening, she looked at the small picture frame in front of her. It was a photo of her and her mother, Melena, giggling together. It was during Elphaba's infancy, when the young girl was around three or four. Melena had sadly passed away when Elphaba was around five, shaking the balance of the household tremendously.

That was when Frex had begun to beat her. Before that, he had only resigned to give her hateful looks, and vicious insults, but he never had raised a hand to his daughter. Elphaba laughed wryly, as she realized that it wasn't so uncommon for Frexspar to hit her nowadays. Wiping away the wistful tears, a result from the memories of happier times, she clutched the small frame, and set it down on the table next to her.

Dipping the mop into the water, she sighed. Why did her mother have to die? Why did she have to leave Elphaba on her own?

A few years ago, the Emerald witch was surprised to find that she resented her mother, ever so slightly, for leaving her with her abusive father and pampered sister. Shaking these wicked thoughts away, Elphaba pursed her lips and continued cleaning.

* * *

"Avaric, don't you think that this is taking it just a _bit_ too far?!" A nervous Fiyero asked, suddenly resenting his idiotic choice of trusting his lifelong best friend.

"Oh, no. Just think! You'll get your old life back." He reminded him.

"Av, this isn't right! We can't just do this to her!" The Prince protested, his conscience kicking in. He, however, didn't voice his other thoughts. He didn't want to leave Choice.

It wasn't because he _enjoyed_ the job, or anything like that. The job itself, wasn't too bad. But, if he did what Averic wanted him to do to Elphaba, he could picture his father's disapointment. It was like the five-year-old in him was still competing against Elih for Zachariah's attention. Of course, it wasn't much of a competition anymore. Elih wasn't around to humiliate him with his victories anymore.

He mentally cringed at the thought of his late brother. Their relationship hadn't been what you would call 'brotherly love.' Yet, in the two years since his skiing accident, Fiyero had found himself missing Elih more and more.

"Fiyero? Fiyero!" Avaric's pestering words snapped him out of his uneasy reverie.

"Hmm?" He asked, completely lost with what his friend was talking about. Avaric rolled his eyes. "Are you in, or not?"

Fiyero shrugged. "I don't think so, Av." He decided. He had already disappointed his father enough times, whilst growing up. He had sided with his mother after the divorce, screwed up everything important to him. Fiyero knew that a small part of him still favored Elih.

"Is this about your father?" Avaric asked, reading his thoughts. "You do know that he expects you to screw this up, right? That's all he sees you as. A big screw up. Why don't you prove him right? Why don't you finally kick 'daddy dearest' off the radar?" He told him.

Fiyero contemplated this for a clock-tick. It wasn't a secret that his dad had always been slightly friendlier to Elih. It wasn't fair, now was it? Why should Elih get all the glory, while he was stuck with all the hostility?

"You know what? You're right! Now, let's do this!" Fiyero said, his boysh pride taking over. Avaric pumped one fist in the air and high-fived his best friend.

This was going to be good.

* * *

Nessarose Thropp sat in her wheelchair, contemplating her beautifully tragic face on the mirror sitting in her spacious room. She sighed wistfully, staring at her immobile feet. Oh, how she longed to run, and dance, and play.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Elphaba, who came in at that precise moment, holding a beautiful dress. It was a nice rosy color, fitting quite well with Nessa's complexion.

"Sorry I took so long, Nessie." Sbe apologized, laying the dress on the bed.

"Nonesense, Fabala! You're not my slave! I think it's positively atrocious that father made you clean the whole house in under three hours!" The brunette told her. Elphaba shrugged, she was pretty blasé about how her father treated her. "It's fine." She said.

"No, it is not fine, Fabala! It isn't fair that father makes you-" She began, quickly being cut off by her older sister.

"Nessie, do we have to have this argument _again_?" Elphaba asked, groaning. Nessa smiled at her, wishing that the whole world would just give her sister a chance. Once you got over the initial shock of her exuberant green skin, Elphaba was the best person Nessa had ever met.

"No, we don't. But we do have to have another argument. You _are_ coming to the party, right?" She asked.

"I don't think so, Nessie. I'm not sure father wants me there and, either way, I have nothing to wear." She answered, hoping and praying that her sister would leave it there. But Nessa, being Nessa, shook her head.

"It doesn't matter if father doesn't want you there, because I do! I can lend you something of mine!" The wheelchair-bound girl decided. Elphaba's eyes bulged but, before she could protest, Nessarose spoke for her.

"Don't worry, I won't make you wear anything in pink." Letting out a sigh of relief, the green girl helped her younger sister get up. Clutching her arm tightly, Elphaba eased Nessarose into the dress and set her back down.

"Thank you, Fabala. Now, let's get started! We have a lot of work to do, and very little time to do it!"

The elder girl groaned, untying her braid and letting her raven curls out.

* * *

The ballroom at the Thropp home was all set: Beautiful decorations, amazifying food. Everything was perfect. Zacariah and Fiyero Tiggular stepped in, along with Avaric Tenmeadows and Galinda Upland. Anyone who had been watching closely, would've seen the smirks exchanged by the young Prince and his comrade, two partners-in-crime. But, If they had continued watching, moments after, they would've seen the uneasy look cross over Fiyero's face.

"Ooh, Fif! Look how pretty everything is!" Galinda praised. Zachariah went off to talk to Frexspar, leaving the young adults to themselves. Looking back, Fiyero wasn't too sure about Avaric's idea...

* * *

_"Fiyero, we're going to a party tomorrow night." Zacariah had dropped by the office to tell him the day before. Galinda, Avaric, and Fiyero were hanging out after a hard day's work. "It's at the Thropp's. Galinda, Avaric, you can come as well, if you'd like."_

_"Thanks, Mr. Tiggy!" She had squealed, earning strange looks from everybody in the room. "What?" She asked innocently. "It's short for Tiggular."_

_Zacariah rolled his deep blue eyes, and walked out the door. _

_"Thropp? Why does that name sound familiar?" Fiyero asked aloud, racking his brain for the answer. Galinda gave him a look, as if it was the simplest thing in Oz._

_"Thropp is the last name of your new assistant. You know, she's not too bad. She and I are besties, now! I call her Elphie!" She answered. Avaric's eyes brightened immediately, as he took Fiyero to the side, while Galinda fiddled with her hair._

_"Dude! I just got the best idea ever! I have a new way to get rid of that horrid assistant!" He told him._

_"I thought we already had a plan." Fiyero stated, slightly confused._

_"Yes, but instead if carrying it out here, at Choice, we'll carry it out at the party!" He explained, making Fiyero shake his head rapidly._

_"No! No freaking way! We can't just do that to her in her own home!" He protested, making Avaric roll his eyes annoyedly._

_"Oh, come on Yero! You want to get rid of her, or not?" He thought a moment, but nodded._

_"Fine."_

* * *

Everything was going perfectly. All the guests were having a blast, enjoying the music and snacks. Nessarose Thropp showed up, becoming the center of attention. People seemed to be attracted to her, like bees to honey. She wore a strange smile, like she knew something was about to happen.

And boy did something happen.

Elphaba Melena Thropp, in all her green glory, appeared at the top of the staircase. A silence settled over the ballroom as they all turned to gawk at her. She wore a dark navy blue dress, trimmed with lace, paired black ballet flats, with tiny diamonds sprinkled all over her outfit. Her dark, raven tresses were pinned up beautifully, with two wisps on each side framing her face. She looked... Amazing.

Avaric, the first one to snap out of the strange spell that had over come everybody in the Thropp household, nudged Fiyero. "Dude, she's exactly where she's supposed to be!" Fiyero felt his stomach sink. He shouldn't be doing this.

"Avaric, we can't." He whispered.

"What do you mean, we can't?! We have to!" He grabbed the remote from Fiyero's suit pocket.

"Avaric, no!" But it was too late, the tall boy pressed the red button. It happened quickly. First, Elphaba was there, regally standing in her beautiful dress, then, a cascade of bright pink paint fell from a bucket hanging from the roof. It enveloped her entirely, making her look like a neon powderpuff. The ballroom erupted with laughter, and Elphaba felt hot tears fall down her face.

Her dark brown eyes searched the room, landing on Fiyero, who had taken the remote from Averic after he pressed it. He ran up to her, ignoring the glares she was sending him.

"Elphaba I-" he began.

"Save it. This is what you wanted anyways, wasn't it? To get rid of the ugly assistant? I can't believe you would do something so stupid and childish like this. As if people don't see me as a joke already. It's not like you care anyways. You got what you want." She sighed shakily, and turned around, pausing to say one last thing.

"I quit."

* * *

**Ok, so this is a pretty long chapter... Does that make up for what happened in it? Sorry if the prank was stupid, but it honestly couldn't think of anything...**

**Oh! If you have any plotlines or ideas for the story, don't hesitate to PM, I could use a lot of help...**

**Any thoughts on Elih? Or on what Fiyero could POSSIBLY do to make it up to Elphaba?**

**Au Revoir! Until next time, my pretties!**

**~ Rae**


	4. Beautiful

**Hello, people of the interweb! It's me with another update! I'm really happy with all of your reviews! Thank you, thank you, thank you!**

**Bigby The Big Bad Wolf: Don't worry, and thanks for reviewing! Just, try To make it a little less violent next time.. Lol.**

**RavenCurls: Ive said it once, I'll say it a thousand times: I. Love. Your. Username! Haha, thanks for the ideas!**

**WickedFrenchHorn: Yes, I know! It's a great story, you write amazifyingly! **

**Bombafan: Is that a good thing? :P**

**Woodland59: Thank you!**

**iamgoku: Hahah, I'm glad you're enjoying it. All hail the ice king! Well, except for me! I'm the Queen of many things... Including making you update. SO DO IT. Lol.**

**Disclaimer: Psh, me? Of course I own Wicked! Eh, not.**

* * *

The whole ballroom was in an uproar. All the guests laughed heartily, completely forgetting how entranced they had been by the Emerald beauty, not moments before. Fiyero stood guiltily on the staircase. He felt horrible for letting Avaric pose as a role model for him, ultimately hurting Elphaba.

Galinda turned to look sharply at Avaric. "Why would you do that?!" She squealed angrily.

Avaric rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, Glin! Artichokes don't have feelings!" He sneered, making the blonde muster up the most deathly look she could manage. Avaric was slightly taken aback, Galinda was usually just as carefree as he was. She took a deep breath, walking over to the desert table.

"Oz, this is totally going to mess up my manicure..." She muttered under her breath. Gingerly picking up a cupcake, she walked back to Avaric. He let out a sigh of relief.

"You know, for a clock-tick there, I was worried that you were going to-" Galinda cut him off by slamming the cupcake against his face. His shocked expression fading away quickly, his brown eyes darkened.

Avaric dug his hand into the bottom layer of a cake, and smashed it into her blonde locks.

Galinda gave him a horrified look. "My hair!" She yelled shrilly, catching the attention of the other guests. A particularly devilish-looking boy smirked mischievously.

"Food fight!" He screamed, sending the guests into, yet another, uproar. All around, sweet treats flew, landing on their unlucky targets.

Galinda, still grieving about her cake-stained hair, began to wail unattractively. "My ha-a-a-air!" She screeched, until a stream of melted chocolate coated her sparkly pink gown.

"Ok, it's on." She decided, her cerulean orbs narrowing. She turned and face the thrower, a woman by the name of Pfannee Sharpe. Pfannee was one of Galinda's old "friends" from Shiz University.

Mushing up a brownie, the blonde used all her strength to shoot it at Pfannee, hitting her in the face, and staining her red curls. She laughed mockingly, until the ginger-haired woman retaliated with a cup of Ozian Soda.

Furiously, the blonde picked up a full pie, slinging it at the twenty-one year old. Pfannee ducked out of the way at the last clock-tick, the pie landing on a different victim.

Frexspar Thropp.

Glaring at Galinda, Frex tried to restore some of the order that they had had, previous to when the aberration showed herself.

"Stop it!" He boomed, but to no avail. Fiyero still stood upon the bottom of the staircase, transfixed, unaware of the chaotic scene taking place in the ballroom.

All his life, he had done whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. He'd never felt this. It was a strange sentiment, all sudden and new. He felt... Guilty.

Fiyero Tiggular had always been a walking, talking, disapointment. To his father, to his brother. Somewhere along the way, he'd given up trying to be like Elih, given up at trying to gain Zacariah's aproval, instead, focusing all his energy on disobeying them.

His heart had been numbed by his father's cold attitude, which Elih seemed to have inherited. So, no matter what he did, Fiyero never truly felt bad about it. But now, he did. He felt bad, guilty, horrible, and many more things. He was disappointed in himself for hurting Elphaba, an innocent bystander in his dysfunctional life. Honestly, he felt like an Oz-danged Jerk.

"You do realize, that every clock-tick that you waste just standing here like an idiot, and you don't go after her, you become even more of a douche than you already are thought to be, right?" Fiyero whirled around to meet Galinda, caked from head to toe in sugary deserts.

"Go, Fiyero." She advised, her eyes twinkling in a knowing fashion. He immediately began to run up the staircase rapidly, as Galinda watched him. She licked her lips and smiled. "Mmm, yummy!"

Pausing to catch his breath, Fiyero doubled over, panting. He was just about to knock on the first door, when he heard a soft melody come from the last room, at the end of the corridor.

"_Every day is so wonderful. The suddenly, its hard to breathe._"

Was that Elphaba? She, she, wow. She sounded amazing. Carefully tiptoeing in the direction of her beautiful voice, he found himself smiling.

"_Now and then, I get insecure. From all the pain, I'm so ashamed._"

The door was slightly open. Peeking through the small gap, Fiyero saw Elphaba, still drenched in pink goo, playing the piano and singing along.

"_I am beautiful in every single way. No, words can't bring me down. I am beautiful, no matter what they say. Yes, words can't bring me down._"

Fiyero felt his stomach sink. She was beautiful. She didn't deserve to get treated they way she did.

"_So don't you bring me down today._" She finished, playing a final flurry on the piano. Debating wether it was ok to clap, he slipped on some water on the floor, landing with a huge _thud_.

Elphaba turned around rapidly, sprinkling the instrument with small droplets of rosy paint. "What are you doing here?" She asked, her voice dripping with venom.

"I, uh. I came to apologize. Y-You sounded great, I had no idea you were so talented." He stammered. Elphaba snorted.

"There's a lot of things you don't know about me, Tiggular. So, just head back down to the party and we can forget the last few days." She responded, turning her back to him.

"Elphaba, I feel so horrible for what I did to you. I am so, so, so sorry. Please, you have to believe me." He begged.

"It's not that I don't believe you, which I don't, it's that this wouldn't work out anyways. I don't know the first thing about fashion." She justified.

"But you're intelligent." Fiyero had read a report she had done on one of the cosmetics that Choice was using, as advertisement.

"That's besides the point." Elphaba answered, wiping some paint off of her eye.

"No, it's not. Elphaba, to tell you the truth, I didn't want to go through with this stupid, childish, prank!" He admitted.

She slowly turned around, meeting his gaze. "Then, why did you?" She asked, not truly believing him.

"That's the thing, I didn't. Sure, Avaric and I were planning it, but I didn't want to. I told him this, and he took the remote and pressed it anyways. It wasn't to get you to quit. Well, not entirely. Truly, Avaric thought that I wanted my father to fire me, so I could go back to partying. But, I don't. That's the thing, I don't. I'm tired of my father being disappointed in me. Now that Elih's gone, I actually have a chance to earn his respect. I, I just want him to be proud of me." He finished quietly, letting out what he'd been feeling for two years.

"Who's Elih?" Elphaba asked gently. Fiyero, startled, looked up. He had momentarily forgotten that Elphaba was in the room with him.

"H-He's nobody. Don't worry about it." He answered.

"Fiyero, I just want to know. Now, don't you think you owe me that much?" He looked at her guiltily, sliding down the wall, and sitting down.

"Elih is my brother. _Was_ my brother." He corrected.

"What happened to him?"

Fiyero let out a long sigh, and Elphaba joined him on the floor. "He, he died. Two years ago. Skiing accident." He said all of this slowly, and all while trying to hold in choked sobs.

"Skiing accident?"

"He didn't believe in ski lifts." Fiyero answered, laughing wryly. "He was the golden boy, the favorite. Dad always preferred Elih."

"Oh." Elphaba said simply.

"Do you know what it's like to see your sibling get rewarded and loved, while you just stay in the shadows receiving nothing?" He asked.

Although Elphaba knew the query to be rhetorical, she answered anyway.

"Yes." Fiyero turned to look at her curiously. "Father has always preferred Nessa. He's hated me since the moment of birth. Not that he shouldn't. I'm a disgusting, horrible, aberration."

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am." Elphaba insisted. "It's not like he doesn't have a good reason. It's my fault."

"What is?"

"That mother is dead, and that Nessie can't walk." She admitted. Fiyero was taken aback. Did she actually believe that?

"You see, when mother first became pregnant, father made her chew milk flowers day and night so that the baby wouldn't..." She stopped there, hesitant to go on.

"Wouldn't come out green." Fiyero finished.

"Yes, exactly. Except... Except the milk flowers made Nessie come prematurely. With her little legs all tangled. And, mother never woke up." Tears glistened in her large, chocolate eyes."So, it's my fault."

"No, it's the milk flowers fault. Heck, it's Frexspar's fault. Not yours, Elphaba. Frex should've accepted you, no matter what your skin color!" He contradicted.

"I'll come back." She said softly.

"What?" Fiyero asked, confused.

"To Choice. I'll come back if you want." His eyes lit up happily. "But this doesn't mean I forgive you." She added.

"Whatever you say." Fiyero told her, smiling genuinely.

* * *

"So, she's back?" A woman, wrapped in so many cloths that you could hardly see her face, asked.

Morrible nodded. "Yes. She is."

"Oh, who knew Fiyero could actually have a change of heart?" The woman laughed mockingly. She seemed to be undergoing surgery, for her whole body was completely wrapped up. Well, except for her startlingly blue eyes.

"I sure didn't. But, not to worry, dearie. He'll give up, and we'll take over both Choice, and Tiggular industries." Morrible cackled evilly.

"And Zacariah?"

"He has no idea. He and Fiyero are hardly speaking and, as long as we drive that wedge deeper and deeper, he'll stop worrying about his womanizer son." The woman smirked, though it was invisible to Morrible.

"Good. Has Fiyero found the music box yet?" She asked.

"No. It's being delivered tomorrow." Morrible said, relishing in the idea of the next day.

"Alright. Our plans are already set in motion. Just one more thing.."

"Yes?" Morrible asked, desperate to be the sole editor of Choice, and the Co-owner of Tiggular.

"Keep your eye, on that ugly assistant."

* * *

**Soooo, you like? Id really love to hear your guesses as to who the mystery woman is! First person to guess gets a one-shot! **

**Though I honestly doubt you'll guess. **

**Yes, they have been mentioned here before, so it's not completely impossible... Just think out of the box...**

**See you guys next time!**

**~ Rae**


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